Sida’s thematic priorities for development cooperation

Freedom and democracy are essential for people to have a say in their own lives and find a way out of poverty. Sida therefore supports initiatives that strengthen democratic institutions, the rule of law and human rights. Particular focus is placed on people and groups who live under oppression, face discrimination or otherwise have limited opportunities to make their voices heard.

Democracy and human rights

Sida’s work includes support for civil society, free and fair elections, anti-corruption efforts, the protection of human rights defenders, and free and independent media. It also includes strengthening freedom of expression and people’s access to free and reliable information, both offline and online. Sida works to ensure that more people can benefit from the opportunities created by digitalisation by helping to bridge the digital divide.

By supporting democracy, human rights, the rule of law and peaceful societies, Sida helps to promote freedom and counter oppression. This work is particularly important at a time when democracy is weakening in many countries, civic space is shrinking and more people are finding it harder to influence society and express their views.

The aim is to strengthen people’s rights and freedoms, protect those who defend democracy and increase support for actors working for openness, accountability and peace. Sida also aims to help more people make their voices heard and live in greater freedom.

• Stronger electoral legislation and election administration improved protection against electoral fraud and undue influence in Moldova. This contributed to freer and fairer elections. More than 300 polling stations were opened abroad, increasing voter participation among Moldovans living outside the country.
• Investigative journalism uncovered corruption in a flood protection project in the Philippines. The findings received media attention and contributed to a parliamentary inquiry into how infrastructure projects are financed.
• Participation in regional consultations, greater legal empowerment and improved communication helped Indigenous Peoples in Latin America defend their rights, including their rights to land and natural resources.

Sida is a government agency that works on behalf of the Swedish Parliament and Government. Sida’s work is governed by government ordinances, appropriation directions, development cooperation strategies and the budget. The following thematic strategies apply to this area:

• Strategy for Sweden’s global development cooperation activities in the areas of human rights and freedoms, democracy and the rule of law 2024–2028 – Government.se
• Strategy for democracy support through Swedish party-affiliated organisations 2024–2027 – Government.se

Read more about how Sida is governed:

Sida is guided by strategies 

 

• Strategy report on Sweden’s global development cooperation in the areas of human rights and freedoms, democracy and the rule of law 2024–2028 (in Swedish, PDF)

• In-depth strategy report on democracy support through Swedish party-affiliated organisations 2024–2027 (in Swedish, PDF)

Humanitarian assistance is essential when people are affected by war, conflict, climate-related disasters and other severe crises. Sida therefore supports efforts that provide people with protection, healthcare, food and other life-saving supplies. Particular focus is placed on people with the greatest needs, regardless of where they are.

Rapid and flexible support as needs change

Sida’s humanitarian assistance provides food, clean water, healthcare, protection from violence and support for people who have been forced to flee their homes. The work is guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. This means providing assistance based on need, putting people first, not taking sides in conflicts and acting independently.

Sida combines long-term partnerships with rapid and flexible funding. This enables UN agencies, civil society organisations, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and other partners to respond quickly when a crisis occurs or worsens. This is particularly important at a time when humanitarian needs are increasing while international resources are decreasing.

Sida aims to improve its ability to reach people with the greatest need for protection and assistance, including those in hard-to-reach areas. Support for local organisations will also increase. Sida also aims to strengthen the links between emergency assistance, long-term development cooperation and peacebuilding. This can help more people receive the protection and support they need during crises and disasters, while also building resilience to future crises.

Read more about Sida’s humanitarian work:

Sida’s humanitarian aid in the world’s most severe crises

• In Sudan, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) reached around 740,000 people, just over half of them women, through multi-purpose cash assistance and cash support to local groups.
• Around 1,400 members of the armed forces and armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo received information on international humanitarian law.
• Tens of thousands of households in the Democratic Republic of the Congo received support for livelihoods and agriculture. Health interventions enabled hundreds of thousands of medical consultations, including for pregnant women and survivors of sexual violence

Sida is a government agency that works on behalf of the Swedish Parliament and Government. Sida’s work is governed by government ordinances, appropriation directions, development cooperation strategies and the budget. The following thematic strategy applies to this area:

Strategy for Sweden’s humanitarian assistance provided through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency 2025–2029 – Government.se

Read more about how Sida is governed:

Sida is guided by strategies | Sida

Strategy report: Year 1 of the Humanitarian Strategy 2025–2029 (in Swedish, PDF)

Having an income of their own is essential for people to escape poverty. Sida therefore supports efforts that create jobs, strengthen businesses and make it easier for people to earn a living. Particular focus is placed on women, young people and other groups who often face barriers to entering the labour market or starting and running a business.

Trade and education create opportunities

Trade can contribute to economic growth, create more jobs and give countries greater opportunities to sell goods and services. Education and lifelong learning are also important for people to find work, develop their skills and have greater influence over their own lives. Education also contributes to democracy, gender equality, better health and greater freedom for women and girls.

Sida combines support for job creation, trade, education and research with social protection. This can include support for people affected by illness, unemployment or crises. Together, these efforts contribute to long-term change. This is particularly important at a time of weak global growth, increasing trade barriers, conflict, climate-related disasters and declining international development assistance.

Sida works to create more jobs, particularly in agriculture, but also in the service sector, sustainable energy and other forms of sustainable production. People also need skills that match the needs of the labour market, as well as better protection when they are in vulnerable situations.

Sida also aims to strengthen cooperation between development assistance, Swedish trade and Swedish actors within Team Sweden. Team Sweden brings together Swedish government agencies, companies and other actors to promote exports, investment and international cooperation.

• Sida has worked with hundreds of private-sector actors and more than 2,000 companies, strengthened the vocational skills of thousands of women and young people, and engaged more than 150 companies in efforts to make the construction industry in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans more energy-efficient. Around 11,000 people, including about 4,000 women, have increased their incomes.
• Financial guarantees have given more than 200,000 women entrepreneurs and smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia access to finance. This has strengthened their economic empowerment, including their ability to own land and housing.
• In Ethiopia, 276,000 people, including around 153,000 women, have increased their incomes through support to local businesses, public authorities and digital job-matching platforms. This has contributed to more inclusive and sustainable market systems and a stronger business environment that benefits women, young people and other marginalised groups.
• Following the launch in 2024 of one of Africa’s first electrified railways in Tanzania, more than one million passengers travelled on the route within four months. The railway has reduced travel time by four hours, improved safety and increased efficiency for businesses.
• In Niger, 113 digital centres for women in rural areas have been established, and nearly 200,000 people, 69 per cent of them women, have received training in digital and financial literacy. Reforms have criminalised digital violence against women and integrated gender equality into cybersecurity strategies. This has strengthened women’s economic empowerment, improved their safety online and contributed to more inclusive digital systems that uphold the rule of law.

Sida is a government agency that works on behalf of the Swedish Parliament and Government. Sida’s work is governed by government ordinances, appropriation directions, development cooperation strategies and the budget.

The main thematic strategies for this area are:

• Strategy for Sweden’s development cooperation in research for poverty reduction and sustainable development 2022– 2028 – Government.se

Several other strategies also contribute to this area. These include the regional strategies for Africa 2022–2026 and the Middle East and North Africa 2024–2027, as well as bilateral strategies for Ukraine, Mozambique, Bangladesh and Ethiopia.

Read more about how Sida is governed and find all the strategies here:

Sida is guided by strategies

Strategy report: Year 1 of the Strategy for Sustainable Growth, Green Transition and Education 2025–2029 (in Swedish, PDF)

A stable climate and a healthy environment are essential for people’s living conditions and their opportunities to escape poverty. Sida therefore supports initiatives that help people and communities adapt to climate change, protect nature and increase access to sustainable energy. Particular focus is placed on people who are most affected by climate-related crises, such as droughts and floods.

Climate and environment

Sida’s work includes climate change adaptation, sustainable energy and better management of water, forests and land. It also aims to strengthen people’s opportunities to influence decisions on climate and the environment and to promote the sustainable and equitable use of natural resources. Sida combines institutional support, capacity development and the mobilisation of additional capital for climate and environmental action. Together, these efforts help strengthen climate action and accelerate the green transition.

This is particularly important at a time when climate change and environmental degradation have the greatest impact on people living in poverty, Indigenous Peoples, women and children.

Sida aims to strengthen climate action across all its work, increase investment in the green transition and develop solutions that work in countries affected by poverty, conflict and democratic backsliding.

• A partnership supporting investment in social enterprises in Brazil, Colombia and Peru that work with green value chains and the circular economy has created jobs for vulnerable groups, particularly women and Indigenous Peoples. These enterprises have also gained access to global value chains through partnerships with larger companies such as IKEA. Greater economic inclusion and more green jobs benefit both local economies and the environment.
• Participation in regional consultations, greater legal empowerment and improved communication helped Indigenous Peoples in Latin America defend their rights, including their rights to land and natural resources.
• Around 500,000 households in Bangladesh became more resilient to climate change. Of these, 35,000 invested in climate-smart methods and green businesses through the establishment of cooperatives.
• Support to local environmental organisations, producer groups and Indigenous Peoples in Bolivia has reduced greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation. More than 80 million hectares of land and aquatic ecosystems are protected, and 500,000 hectares of land are managed sustainably.
• Authorities in the Western Balkans received support for monitoring and reporting on air quality. This improved dialogue between national and local authorities and helped align their work with EU requirements.

Sida is a government agency that works on behalf of the Swedish Parliament and Government. Sida’s work is governed by government ordinances, appropriation directions, development cooperation strategies and the budget. The following thematic strategy applies to this area:

Strategy for Sweden’s global development cooperation in the areas of environment, climate and biodiversity 2022–2026 (in Swedish)

Read more about how Sida is governed:

Sida is guided by strategies

Strategy report:

Strategy for Sweden’s global development cooperation in environment, climate and biodiversity 2022–2026. (in Swedish)

Portfolio Review:

Sidas biodiversity reporting 2024 

Sida’s Climate Finance Reporting 2024 in summary

Effective climate aid – Mitigation

Effective climate aid – Adaption

Effective climate aid – Financing

Good health is essential for people to live in safety and escape poverty. Sida therefore supports efforts to strengthen health systems, improve access to healthcare and ensure that staff and resources are available where they are needed most. Particular focus is placed on women, girls and other groups who are often most affected by crises and conflicts. Sida also aims to meet people’s different needs, for example by involving those who receive support in designing the activities.

Health and rights

Sida’s work includes sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), healthcare and preventive measures that help people stay healthy. This includes access to contraception, maternal healthcare, safe abortion, vaccinations, mental health support and other essential healthcare. The work also helps strengthen the rights of women, girls and young people to make decisions about their own bodies.

Sida combines support for healthcare and health systems with efforts to strengthen rights and address health threats. Together, these efforts help improve health and create lasting change. This is particularly important at a time when conflicts, climate change, disease outbreaks and declining international aid are putting healthcare services under severe pressure in many countries.

Sida works to build more resilient health systems, defend SRHR, gender equality and human rights, and develop solutions that reach the most vulnerable. This helps more people access person-centred healthcare and protection, giving them a better chance of living healthier lives.

 

• In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 3.7 million children were vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and measles. Polio cases fell by 90 per cent (UNICEF, 2024).
• In 32 focus countries, national systems for maternal, childbirth and newborn care have been developed, including services for safe abortion and young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). A total of 226,000 midwives have been trained. This work has saved an estimated 75,000 lives since 2010.
• In 151 countries, 68 million people, including around 52 million women, gained access to a total of 230 million health and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. These included 74 million contraceptive services and 6.5 million abortion care services. The efforts have strengthened women’s and girls’ ability to make decisions about their own bodies and reproduction, reduced unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions, and improved access to healthcare, including during crises and conflicts.
• Through the World Bank, Sida helped more than 470,000 Ukrainians take part in physical rehabilitation programmes and more than 450,000 receive mental healthcare in 2023 and 2024. Hospitals and health centres have also been renovated, and 130 health centres have been equipped with solar power systems to ensure uninterrupted healthcare.

Sida is a government agency that works on behalf of the Swedish Parliament and Government. Sida’s work is governed by government ordinances, appropriation directions, development cooperation strategies and the budget. The following thematic strategies apply to this area:

Strategy for Sweden’s development cooperation for health and sexual and reproductive health and rights, 2025–2029 – Government.se

Strategy for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Africa 2022–2026 – Government.se

Read more about how Sida is governed:

Sida is guided by strategies | Sida

Strategy report:

Strategy report: Health and SRHR 2025–2029, Year 1 (in Swedish, PDF)

Gender equality is essential for women, men, girls and boys to make decisions about their own lives and escape poverty. Sida therefore supports efforts to strengthen women’s and girls’ rights, safety and empowerment.

Human rights, safety and empowerment

Sida works in several areas to promote gender equality and women’s rights. Women still face discrimination in the labour market and generally have less access to livelihoods, financial services and social protection than men. Worldwide, women also do more unpaid care work than men. This limits their opportunities to work in the formal economy and participate in politics.

Sida works to address these structural barriers by supporting efforts that improve women’s access to jobs, economic resources and education. This includes strengthening women’s equal rights to own, inherit and hold property. The aim is to enable women to control and invest in economic resources on equal terms with men, make their own decisions and participate fully in society. Sida also works to reduce the digital divide between women and men.

Violence, particularly different forms of men’s violence against women, is a widespread social problem. In many of the contexts where Sida works, it is linked to gender inequality, gender norms and efforts to maintain power and control.

Sida works to prevent all forms of gender-based violence, strengthen protection and support for survivors, and help bring perpetrators to justice. This also includes challenging the discriminatory norms and structures that enable violence.

Sida’s work on gender equality also includes efforts to increase the number of girls and boys attending school and to support women’s equal participation in peace processes and environmental and climate action.

Together, these efforts strengthen women’s and girls’ rights, safety and opportunities to earn a living, both now and in the long term. This work is particularly important as many women and girls continue to face discrimination and violence, while opposition to gender equality is growing in several parts of the world.

To address these challenges, Sida works to strengthen gender equality efforts and support organisations working on these issues. The aim is to ensure that more women and girls have better protection, greater freedom and more opportunities to shape their own lives.

• Women living in poverty gained access to mobile internet, enabling them to use digital services, transfer money and access healthcare. This strengthens their economic empowerment.

• Women-owned businesses gained access to finance, creating more than 40,000 new jobs in 2024. This has increased women’s incomes and economic security.

• More than 200,000 Afghan women and girls received psychosocial support, legal advice, education, healthcare and livelihood support. A total of 15,000 men and boys were involved in efforts to combat gender-based violence, and 240 women’s organisations received support to strengthen their work in very challenging circumstances.

• Through its guarantees, Sida shares the risk with lenders so that more entrepreneurs can access loans. This support has given more than 200,000 women entrepreneurs and smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia access to finance and savings services. It has helped increase their incomes and strengthen their economic empowerment, including their ability to own land and housing.

Sida is a government agency that works on behalf of the Swedish Parliament and Government. Sida’s work is governed by government ordinances, appropriation directions, development cooperation strategies and the budget. The following thematic strategy applies to this area:

Strategy for gender equality and women’s and girls’ freedom and empowerment 2025–2028 (on Government.se)

Read more about how Sida is governed:

Sida is guided by strategies

Strategy report:

Strategy report: Year 1 of the Strategy for Health and SRHR 2025–2029 (in Swedish, PDF)

Migration and development

Migration has always been a development issue. Poverty, conflict and crises are often among the reasons why people migrate. Sida therefore supports efforts to reduce the vulnerability of refugees, migrants and the communities that host them.

Sida also works to promote safe, orderly and regular migration, as well as return and sustainable reintegration. Regular migration can help turn a desperate and risky journey into an opportunity for sustainable development that benefits migrants, host communities and countries of origin.

How Sida works to strengthen synergies between aid and migration policies

Sida’s support includes protection, better living conditions and support for communities affected by migration. It also aims to address the factors that force people to flee, such as poverty, conflict, climate change and a lack of opportunities for the future.

To address these challenges, Sida combines humanitarian assistance with long-term development cooperation. Together, these efforts help reduce people’s vulnerability and strengthen countries’ ability to manage migration. This is particularly important at a time when more people are being forced to flee, while many countries are affected by war, economic crises and declining international development assistance.

The aim is to strengthen countries’ capacity to manage migration, reduce people’s vulnerability and create better conditions for return and sustainable reintegration. Sida also works to strengthen communities that people flee from or return to. This can help more people live in safety and contribute to the development of their communities.

• A total of 870 migrants were able to return voluntarily to Ethiopia through safer and more orderly migration routes in the Horn of Africa. Increased regional coordination has strengthened migration and labour market policies.

• In Iraq, people, particularly vulnerable groups, have gained better access to civil status and identity documents and greater opportunities to claim their housing and property rights. This has strengthened their legal rights, reduced the risk of exclusion from public services and improved their opportunities to work, study and access social protection systems.

• In Lebanon, Syrian refugees have received legal assistance and support with registration. This has improved their access to civil documentation, strengthened their legal status and contributed to greater social inclusion. It has also created better conditions for future voluntary return.

• In Türkiye, 600 displaced students have been able to continue their university studies, improving their future employment and livelihood opportunities. At the same time, efforts to strengthen women’s economic empowerment have increased their independence and improved their opportunities to earn an income.

Sida is a government agency that works on behalf of the Swedish Parliament and Government. Sida’s work is governed by government ordinances, appropriation directions, development cooperation strategies and the budget.

The main thematic strategy for this area is:

Strategy for Sweden’s global development cooperation on migration, returns and voluntary repatriation 2024–2028 – Government.se

Several other strategies also include objectives related to migration and contribute to this area. They are listed below.

Thematic strategies:

• Strategy for peace, security and stabilisation 2024–2028 (on Government.se)

• Strategy for Sweden’s global development cooperation in the areas of environment, climate and biodiversity 2022–2026 (in Swedish, on Regeringen.se)

Bilateral strategies:

• Strategy for Sweden’s reconstruction and reform cooperation with Ukraine 2023–2027 (on Government.se)

• Strategy for Sweden’s development cooperation with Somalia 2026–2028 (in Swedish, on Regeringen.se)

Regional strategies:

• Strategy for Sweden’s reform cooperation with Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans and Türkiye 2026–2030 (on Government.se)

• Strategy for Sweden’s regional development cooperation with the Middle East and North Africa 2024–2027 (on Government.se)

• Sweden’s regional strategy for the Syria crisis 2024–2026 (on Government.se)

• Strategy for Sweden’s regional development cooperation with Africa 2022–2026 (on Government.se)

Read more about how Sida is governed:

Sida is guided by strategies